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Strawman fallacy
1. Strawman fallacy
Strawman arguments are often used to "
prove" a point - by politicians and many others. Briefly, the reasoning of a
strawman argument goes as follows.
Set up an idea to appear to support an opposing point of view.
Knock that idea down.
Claim you have discredited the opposing point of view.
2. Step 1: Set up the strawman
Step 1. Set up a proposed line of reasoning that would appear to support an opposing point of view, but actually contains flawed logic.
That is, the argument is not valid, and would not be used by an opponent, but most observers will not notice.
Example: Pascal's wager claims to prove that God exists.
For more on Pascal's wager, see
Pascal's wager.
3. Step 2: Demolish the strawman
Step 2. Demolish the strawman argument by taking advantage of the flawed logic.
Example: Pascal's wager cannot prove that God exists.
4. Step 3: Claim you have proven your point
Step 3. Claim that the opposing point of view is wrong and, therefore, your point of view is right.
Example: We can conclude that God does not exist.
5. Martin Luther and the strawman
Martin Luther is credited with the first use of the term "
strawman" (in German) for such a line of reasoning. In general terms, he pointed out that the Catholic Church had set up a strawman argument against him and then knocked it down and claimed it had discredited him.
(I could not find a definitive reference for this.)
6. End of page